1
a
: lively or frisky in action : capricious
b
2
: easily frightened : restive
a skittish horse
skittishly
adverb
skittishness
noun
Examples of skittish in a Sentence
We've been skittish about taking on such a large mortgage.
the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack is outside with the horses, who are suddenly and inexplicably skittish — and in a flash, Jake figures out why.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025
Selling infrastructure to the panopticon was not a safe play, and investors were skittish.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
The wildlife, of course, is less skittish with fewer people around; plus, animals are raring to go after emerging from their winter slowdowns.
—Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
Rosie, a feral cat his wife adopted and slowly coaxed into trusting her, was skittish and unfriendly, and rarely interacted with Mr. Escott.
—Kellen Browning, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
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Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025
Selling infrastructure to the panopticon was not a safe play, and investors were skittish.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
The wildlife, of course, is less skittish with fewer people around; plus, animals are raring to go after emerging from their winter slowdowns.
—Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
Rosie, a feral cat his wife adopted and slowly coaxed into trusting her, was skittish and unfriendly, and rarely interacted with Mr. Escott.
—Kellen Browning, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skittish. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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